Problems Picking Tubular Locks

[hobbypickDFW]

I bought a SO 7 pin pick and bought a bunch of cheap old locks at a local flea market to practice on(I got a box of 50 for $5). I was able to open some of the locks with the normal imp. methods, but some of them I think are better locks with tighter tolerances and probably mushroom pins or something like that. So then I tried applying torque to the tool while i tried single pin picking them with the feelers(tension on the feelers was left completely loose). I started on the pins that were tight first, and tried working my way around getting tight pins to seat to shear line, but I keep having loose pins, meaning I'm not successfully getting tight pins at shear line(and am not sure what i should be looking for verifying they are on the shear line). Am I applying too much torque to the tool and causing security pins to falsely bind on shear line(what could be a good gauge of pressure for how much pressure i should be putting)? Will pins make a pop noise once they hit the shear line? How do i know that the stiff pins hit the shear line? I spent many hours yesterday trying everything I could to try and make it work with no luck.

On a side note, with normal imp. methods, it seems like i would crank down the pin tension and it would keep the higher variable tension in check and give pins with less spring pressure time to hit the shear line, but I can't make that method work either.

Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated.

[npdaniels]

A video is worth a thousand words http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLLRb-Jfrd8 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnDQPdRJpX4

Granted tubular locks are much trickier than pin tumbler locks.

This is how I learned to pick tubular locks, Practice it...... But don’t get frustrated, Focus on opening the lock almost visualize it opening. It's is a skill as much as a science, Focus more on the skills for now, the science will make more sense later.

[hobbypickDFW]

I know how to impression simple tubular locks like in the video, but that method doesn't really work for high security locks. It seems that you would have to individually control tension and lock feelers down as they seat pins against against the shear line for variable tension/high security tubular locks, or have an extra high amount of tension against the feelers to do the impression method? I'm wanting to know from someone what it actually feels like when you lock pins down individually with the feelers and properly know that you have reached sheer line and how much torque to be putting on the tool.

With the impression method against high security tubular locks, what is the proper way to do it? Do you initially press it all the way in and giggle left and right as you move it out? Or do you go in and out in .05 inch increments while maintaining constant torque in the direction of unlock? I can't get any method to work and it seems like there are a lot of different ways out there, but I'm looking for a best practice method.

[hobbypickDFW]

Ok, just spent the last few hours practicing on some old ACE II locks. Here is how I do it. First remove the stupid washer that comes on the pick. Take your feelers and line them up with the feelers on the bottom of the machined recesses, not on the top as all the videos indicate. Next, insert pick all the way into lock and apply slight pressure in the direction of opening. Remember to keep the pressure ever so slight, even if pins fall back out of place that you pick, you can repick them, this is the most important part. Start pushing on the feelers that feel like they are hard until you feel slight click or release of pressure, do this slowly and even wiggle the pick while still keeping slight pressure. Keep going around staying off the squisy feelers. Slowly but surely, all pins will begin to tighten as they hit the shear line, expect to lose some of your picked pins due to your slight pressure, but its ok, you will keep going around as you pick the pins. Keep wiggling lock if you feel as though you have picked all pins and the ones that haven't seated properly will either pop back out or seat. The lock will turn. Now don't turn it all the way, just half a pin turn. Press all the feelers in and seat them against the shear line. Pull the pick out and tighten it up. Measure and write down all the pin measurements because some tight variable tension lock pin springs will move your pick no matter what. Put it back in and open your lock.

I did this on 20 different ACE II locks and it worked on all them.....average pick time was 30-40 secs. A little longer on corroded/dirty ones, but it even did those. I will make video soon of how to do it so you can all see. It just takes patience.

My next pic will be of some old ESD-XD, medeco, and some ESD-XEP Disc Detainer locks I have in my flea market box-o-locks. The disc detainer should be quite fun after I make my detainer lock pick.